Favor Repaid
by DyanaRoseJill
Summary: After doing a favor for a rather powerful goddess, the Doctor receives a reward. But he's not the only one interested in it.
1. Chapter 1

There was a polite knock at the door. This would not have been odd in and of itself, but for two things.  
Firstly, the cloaking devise on the TARDIS usually prevented it from being noticed by people unless they knew what they were looking for. Secondly, he was in the midst of travelling.  
He stared at the door for a moment, trying to decide if he'd heard what he'd just heard when he heard it again, a brisk knock.

The Doctor hurried around the central console and went over to the door, and opened it. "Hello?"  
A woman in a long dark gown, with long black hair that was almost green was standing on the doorstep.  
"Ahh!" he beamed, "I should have known it would be you knocking on my door mid-flight!"  
"Hello Doctor," she greeted him, stepping inside.  
"What brings you here?" he asked, or started to ask as the TARDIS lurched to the left. He hurried back over to the console and yanked a lever. "Now stop that," he admonished.

His guest didn't seem bothered at all. She merely shifted her weight a bit to counter. "I wished to speak with you," she said, as though nothing had happened  
"I see. Um, have a seat?" he indicated a bench, and then ran around to the other side of the console, informing the TARDIS that they had a guest now, and she needed to behave, or at least keep the floor level for at least the next few minutes.  
"You did well, earlier," his guest told him.  
"What?" the Doctor blinked, "Oh that." He grinned lopsidedly, "It happens. Working, I mean."  
"Well you were very helpful," she replied, "I appreciate it."  
"Ah, it was nothing," he waved a hand awkwardly.

"You seem to be having difficulty with your TARDIS," she said, as it jerked to one side.  
He sighed and pulled another lever. "She's just being a bit… temperamental."  
The woman rose to her feet and walked over to the console. "Calm down," she said to the TARDIS  
The Doctor sighed as the TARDIS lurched once again. "She's been like this awhile now."  
The woman, to his surprise, smiled. "This solves my problem nicely then." Her dark eyes sparkled a bit at the Doctor's puzzled expression. "I meant to do something for you, as a reward for helping me. I could not decide what, but you have given me an idea."  
All that the doctor could say to that was: "Uh, yes?"  
The woman set a hand on the pillar at the center of the TARDIS console. "And I think that you would like that too," she addressed the TARDIS, "Since you helped as well. Come out, if you like."

The Doctor thought both of his hearts had stopped in his chest as the air seemed to shimmer where the woman had touched the TARDIS. And then a familiar voice spoke up: "well, it's about time."  
The dark-haired woman gave the new arrival a warm smile. "I think that will settle things nicely between us, Doctor."  
"I was beginning to think I would have to go along without getting any sort of help at all." Idris folded her arms. She looked a lot like she had before; same outfit, same hair. She just had a soft golden glow about her. "Well, Thief?" She turned to the Doctor, who was doing a rather good impression of a fish.  
"What?" was all that the Doctor could manage.  
"Is that all you have to say for yourself?" She put her hands on her hips.  
"What's going on here?" the Doctor pulled himself together.  
"You said that the TARDIS was having some problems," the visitor said, "Now maybe between the two of you, you can figure it out."

"Well, there's always a first time." Idris commented, eyeing the Doctor. "You have glasses."  
"I do," he said, "I like them. Make me look smart."  
She snorted. "You shouldn't show off so, Thief."  
He shook his head slightly, as if to clear it. "That's not important now."  
"No, no, of course not." She twisted her lips into a sort of pout, looking over the console. "You left the handbrake on. Again."  
"Does that bother you?"  
"Would you like it if someone hung a ball and chain from you?" She countered, pushing a button and flipping a switch.  
"Been there," he said cheerfully.  
"Well, it isn't _nice_." she huffed.  
"It's just not the same without that sound though," he sighed, not quite pouting.  
"You could always _ask _ me to make that sound."  
"Could you do that?" he asked.  
"I _am _your TARDIS," Idris replied with a soft of huff.  
"Yes," he grinned madly, "Yes you are. And you're beautiful!" He suddenly darted forward and embraced her tightly.  
Idris flushed a brighter shade of gold. "Flatterer," she said happily, but she hugged him back, resting her head on his shoulder.

Eventually, he let her go. "Oh this is just brilliant, just brilliant." Then something occurred to him, and he turned back to his visitor, "How long can she stay?"  
"As long as her body lasts," the woman replied.  
"And how long will that be?" he asked.  
"Depends on how well the two of you take care of it," she replied with a smile.  
"Then maybe I will get to be around for awhile," Idris rested her head on the Doctor's shoulder with a smile.  
"Good," he said, and then stopped for a bit as something occurred to him, "Hang on. Can you still… you know… be the TARDIS… like this?"  
Idris just smiled at him, and then lightly set her hand on the console. It shimmered, and she pressed her hand through the plastic and metal. The lights blinked and a few things started whirring. "I would say so, wouldn't you, Thief?"  
"That's just brilliant," he looked very pleased, to stay the least.  
"I know," Idris said simply.  
"I shall take my leave," their visitor said, "Take good care of each other."

Before the Doctor or Idris had a chance to reply, the woman was quietly and simply gone. The Doctor blinked a bit, but smiled. That was a goddess for you.

He turned back to Idris. "So... um... why exactly... were you jerking around so much?"  
"I'll do that? Or have I already done that?"  
"Already done that," he said, "These past two days. I thought that maybe there might have been something wrong with the sublinear transitioner or the quadratic stabilizer," he replied.  
"It's the wiring in the subdural synchronizer," she replied simply.  
"Really? Hadn't expected that."  
"Which is why you didn't check."  
"Nope," he said cheerfully, rummaging around, "What exactly is wrong with the wires?"  
"You fried the bidural conduit, which damaged the wiring of the partner socket." She told him.  
"Right," he popped up from what he was digging around in and emerged with a small toolbox. "I'll go have a look."  
She smiled. "My ever-faithful thief."  
He gave her a salute and made his way down.

The Doctor hummed to himself as he made his way down the stairs. He entered a long corridor that was pretty much walled with panels. Humming to himself, he counted them until he reached the one he wanted and opened it. Then he frowned and closed it, went back to the start, counted again and arrived at a different panel. Then he took out his screw driver and scanned the inside.  
"Where are you?" he muttered softly. After a bit of searching, he found the damaged wires. "Ah ha!" he said gleefully, "there you are."  
He reached into the toolbox and pulled out some electrical tape, binding the frayed wires back together. He hummed as he worked  
"You aren't in tune." Idris commented, appearing next to him, and startling him into dropping the roll of tape. "Oh, now this is new. This is fun! I can go anywhere I think."  
"Don't DO that," he said, only sounding a little scolding. But he had a smile.  
Idris grinned at him. "Tell you you're out of tune? But you were."  
"Oh I know that," he replied, "I meant sneak up on me like that."  
"Ahhhh." She nodded. "I didn't sneak, though." She added, "I teleported."  
"I'll get used to it," the Doctor nodded, getting up, "Anyway, how does that repair feel?"  
Idris faded slightly, becoming nearly transparent. "That is better," her voice echoed around the room, "Much better."  
"Good," the Doctor looked pleased, replacing the tape back in the toolbox, "I want to keep you in good shape."

Idris laughed. "I _was _a museum piece when I stole you..." she murmured.  
"A museum piece in very good condition," he pointed out with a smile.  
"Passable condition." She chuckled.  
"Good enough for me," he replied  
She looked mock-insulted. "You were supposed to tell me I was in perfect condition." She teased him.  
"Was I?" he teased back.  
"You were." She pretend pouted.  
"Well, you're in perfect condition right now," he replied seriously, "And that's all that matters."  
Idris looked very happy at that, and gave his hand as squeeze. "So where do I take you next, thief?"

"Can you come out, with me?" the Doctor asked suddenly, "I mean leave the TARDIS. Well, you can't leave the TARDIS, you are the TARDIS, but could you leave the box?"  
She laughed merrily. "I'm here now, aren't I? The box is just a place to live, much like you do. Only I need to come back a little more often than you do."  
He gave her hand a squeeze. "Then we have to think of somewhere good to go."

The doctor hurried (as he always hurried everywhere) back to the main control room. When he got there, Idris was already seated on the console, waiting for him.  
"So, where should we go?" he asked with a smile, "The night forest on the third moon of Durkard? The diamond lake of Expanica? The Italian Renaissance on Earth? The tri-centennial celebration on Raxus IV?"  
"Where do we need to go?" She murmured thoughtfully. She smiled serenely at the Doctor and then rested her hand on the console, fading until she was almost invisible. The controls flipped, dials whirled, and the TARDIS took off.  
He laughed lightly. "Well I did say your choice after all. Where are we going?"  
"You'll see when we get there," she smiled.  
He laughed lightly. "Have it your way"  
"I plan to." She sounded amused.  
"Only if I can have my way at times, eh?" he responded  
"Oh, I'm sure I can allow that sometimes." She chucked.  
"That's very kind of you, my love."  
Just visible, Idris' face lit up, as did all of the lights on the console. They vanished and reappeared silently, as the Doctor did not leave the parking brake on.

"Although I do like that sound," he confessed to her  
She moved lightly down from the control panel. "I will make it." She assured him. "Just for you, Thief."  
"Thank you, love." He offered her his arm.  
She beamed and accepted his arm. "You are so charming this time." She told him. Her eyes went golden and faraway a moment. "You were also charming when you stole me... When I stole you." Idris blinked, her eyes returning to normal, and she smiled.  
"I borrowed you," he corrected, "And you just made it hard to return you. And now, well, there's nowhere to return you to."  
She shook her head slightly. "Borrowing implies the eventual intention to return the thing that was taken." She waggled one finger at him. "And I told you. I had no intention of giving you back."  
"So why call me thief?" he teased, "I should call you thief."  
She smiled at him. "You started it." She told him sweetly. "You stole me, so I stole you."  
"Fine, fine," he replied, "But could you not call me 'thief' around other people?"  
She tilted her head. "Would you prefer your pseudonym?"  
"It would make things less confusing if you did call me Doctor, at least around others," he said with a nod.  
"I am sure I can manage. Will manage. Have managed. Oh, tenses are so confusing."  
"I know you can do it," he smiled, "You are brilliant after all."

The two made their way to the door. "So, where are we then?" he asked  
"Altheis Three." She told him. "Atmosphere conducive to sustaining various lifeforms and terrain. Population point two million. Three races make up the majority: Altheisians, Mendarins, and human-derivatives."  
"Sounds fantastic," he said with a grin, "Shall we go out and have a look around?"  
He pushed the doors open and the two of them made their way into the sunlight. They were standing out in a field of azure colored grass, stretching out in all directions.  
"That looks like a city over there," he pointed off to the east, "Shall we start over there?"  
He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his over coat and they started to walk. Idris was looking around most curiously; before she had had her little escapade with House, she had never really seen the places and things her thief had seen. Not the way he had, anyway.  
"Ah," he took a deep breath, "Smell that fresh air."  
"I can smell three different types of engine fuel." Idris commented.  
"Exactly," he beamed.  
"I would hardly class this fresh." She remarked, one eyebrow raised.  
The Doctor chuckled, "yes, well, it's not a bad scent, now is it?" Idris shrugged, a motion she had picked up from observation. "Let's just enjoy the day, it's a holiday after all."  
"Then I shall enjoy it," she laughed merrily, "So long as we do not get lost again."  
"Getting lost's half the fun," he said cheerfully  
"I am not sure I entirely agree..." She murmured, but she was smiling.

The city was very busy, with people bustling about their business. There were many different types of people, so neither the Timelord nor the TARDIS-in-a-human-vessel looked out of place. The Doctor looked very pleased, a huge grin on his face. "Now this is my kind of place, look at all these people, all sorts of races, just living together."  
Idris smiled. "Wouldn't it be nice if more were able to do that?"  
"It's my dream," he admitted  
She squeezed his arm. "It is a lovely dream." She told him.  
"So where do you think we should begin?" the Doctor asked.  
"How about over there?" She suggested, pointing to a suitably-interesting-looking building.  
"Let's go!" he led the way.

The primary city of Altheis Three was famous all over the planet for its extensive library, and that was where the Timelord and TARDIS found themselves.  
He let out a whistle. "What a place."  
"It is nearly larger than me! Well, not really, but it looks close."  
He took her hand. "Come on!" he picked a row of bookshelves at random and hurried down it.

After running around for a bit, the two of them had amassed an armload of books, and commandeered a table and a pair of comfortable chairs in a large, conservatory-like room with high glass ceilings. The two spent the afternoon reading, until Idris' stomach made a noise.

She blinked in confusion as the Doctor chuckled, "Sounds like its lunch time."  
"What was that?" She glanced down at her middle. "Has something broken?"  
"No, not broken. Just time to refuel."  
That she understood. "Ah."  
He stood up. "Come on. Let's see what we can find."  
"I don't think I know what I like..." She mused as they went. "It's not really the sort of thing I thought about."  
"We'll have to try everything then," he said with a nod

Idris was quite contented to let the Doctor lead her across the city, and she was quite willing to let him introduce her to food - which was a foreign concept to her. She couldn't say she had enjoyed everything he had persuaded her to try, but she hadn't let that slow her down.

Sunset found her and the Doctor seated on the grassy hill just outside of their blue box, watching the sun vanish beneath the horizon. She clapped her hands lightly together. "It is so lovely."  
"It really is," he agreed, "This is a wonderful place"  
"It is." She agreed. "I wish you could see more of these types of places..."  
He gave her a smile and put his arm around her shoulder, giving her a little squeeze.  
Idris glanced at him, then scooted closer and rested against him. "You have seen too much sorrow..." She murmured.  
"I try not to think about it too much," he replied cheerfully, "And days like today make it all worth it." He looked sideways at her, "And it's good to have someone to share days like this with."  
She gave him another smile. "I always share things with you, even if it is only once you are back in the box."  
"But...this is better." He replied, "I hope that you are enjoying yourself."  
"Oh, I am." She said happily. "I think its much nicer seeing the universe this way."


	2. Chapter 2

The next day found them still on the same planet, wandering an open air market. Idris was delighted, and she darted from stall to stall. The place was alive with color and sound.  
For all her "seeing" all sorts of things in time, she didn't realize that she was being watched carefully. When the watcher saw the Doctor present her with a colorful scarf by wrapping it about her shoulders, his eyes narrowed. It looked like the Doctor had another Companion... One who was clearly not human, though what she _was _was a mystery. The Doctor seemed to favor humans, so for him to choose someone else to travel with was noteworthy.  
"Come along, my love," the Doctor said to Idris, "Let's see what's down this way." The Timelord and his companion made their way further into the marketplace, leaving the watcher behind.

If the Doctor was here, that meant that his TARDIS was here, which meant that he could find a way off this rock! With that in mind, he started to follow them. Eventually, he was sure that they would return to the TARDIS. And hopefully, they wouldn't take off right away.  
"This is much more fun than just hearing about it all afterwards." Idris told the Doctor after they had been wandering around for a few hours.  
"Well, that is the idea," he grinned  
She cuddled his arm. "Not that hearing your tales wasn't interesting..."  
"No," he smiled, "But seeing it in person, that's much better."  
She beamed at him. "I do believe you are right."  
"I am sometimes," he teased  
"Only occasionally." She teased back.

This conversation was very curious indeed, thought the watcher. It made no sense. The Doctor never just told his companions _tales _of his travels. They were always _with _him on the journey. Just who was she, that she was so familiar to the Timelord but had only just begun adventuring with him? He couldn't sense her mind the way he would have been able to had she been another Gallifreyan. As far as he knew, there were only the two of them left in the universe.  
Trailing the Doctor and the woman quickly became rather dull. She was rather naive. And she found everything to be amazing. It was starting to grate on his nerves, so he decided to try another tactic. If it was his TARDIS, where would he park it? After a bit of searching, he found it. It was, of course, locked and that wasn't unusual. What was unusual was the fact it seemed utterly devoid of the 'life' peculiar a TARDIS. The man circled it slowly, looking it over carefully. There was something wrong with it, but he couldn't quite place the feeling.  
It was dead. That's what it was. Completely powerless. That was useless to him. But if the TARDIS was dead, the Doctor certainly wouldn't be walking around as cheerfully as he was.  
He sighed. He would rather have just stolen the TARDIS out from the Doctor's nose. He smirked slightly. He would have loved to have seen the look on the Doctor's face when he realized his TARDIS had been stolen. The other Timelord had always been so protective of the museum-age thing.  
"So what's wrong with you?" he asked the box, which was, unsurprisingly, silent.

He heard something and looked up, then darted off to hide. The Doctor and his strange companion were returning.

"...believe you said that!" She was saying as they arrived at the door. "I mean, I know you did, and you've done before, and you probably will again, but still!" She laughed. "I thought his eyes would pop out of his head!"  
He chuckled. "Most of the time they don't know what to make of me."  
"Sometimes, my dear Thief, neither do I." She said affectionately.  
"Makes it fun, doesn't it?" he grinned, "Life's too long to be boring," he said with a grin  
She snorted. "That is all too true."  
The Doctor opened the door to the TARDIS, giving his companion a smile, "After you, love."  
Once the two of them were inside, the man who had been watching them sensed the TARDIS spring back to life. What was this odd new trick of the Doctor's? It wasn't fair, that he'd learned how to better disguise his TARDIS, and there _he _was without one of his own!  
He was a Timelord, for goodness sake. He was meant to be a traveler. Not... a sit-around-on-some-planet-er. Somehow, some way, he would get his hands on the TARDIS, and then get off this miserable rock.

*~*~*~*~*  
The next day, the Doctor took Idris out for breakfast in a local cafe. He insisted that she try several different things. "You have to experience everything, now that you're not in the box all the time," he told her.  
She pulled a face at him. "I experience what I _want _to experience. I didn't steal you for you to inflict..._that _on me." She indicated the food. "It looks worse than my wiring did after that funny little captain attached himself to the roof when we were traveling."  
He laughed, "Fair enough. Still, now that you have a physical body, I think you ought to take advantage of it to the fullest."  
Two tables over, hiding behind a menu, their observer had been listening Very Intently. And he was a bit astonished at what he was hearing. That woman was the TARDIS? While it didn't seem possible, it did make a great deal of sense. It would certainly explain why the TARDIS seemed 'dead' until she was there.

He slipped away from them. It wasn't that difficult to find the Doctor, so as long as they did not up and leave, he'd be able to work on his own plan for a few hours. He had to separate the two of them.

Several hours later, the Doctor and Idris had found themselves at some sort of fair, where people were exhibiting things that they had made or grown.  
"Look at the size of that!" Idris squealed, darting over to a flower that had a head nearly as large as she was tall.  
"That's impressive," he said with a nod  
She was entranced. "How beautiful..."  
"Very," he agreed, "And it smells lovely too."  
She leaned closer to smell it.  
"Come on," he said, "Let's see what's over there!" He pointed to a large crowd of people. Idris cheerfully followed him.  
As they got closer, the noise increased. Laughing. Talking. Music. Singing.  
They heard music coming from a dark blue tent. Some people were just leaving it, commenting on how the art inside was amazing.  
"This way!" Idris grabbed the Doctor's hand and dragged him to the dark blue tent. Inside, there were several glowing metal objects, and the soft music seemed to be coming from them. She managed to restrain herself from running over and grabbing them.  
"Do you like that?" came a voice, from a man in a long flowing robe.  
Idris looked over at him, and nodded. "It's beautiful." She said simply.  
"You can touch it if you like," he said, "Gently of course."  
Idris nodded and reached out, her fingertips lightly brushing one of the objects.

There was a soft hissing sound and the Doctor looked alarmed. "Wait!" he called out, "Don't!"  
All that Idris really had time to think about was that there was a somewhat odd sort of smell. Then, everything went sort of fuzzy. She could faintly hear her Doctor yelling about something, but he sounded very far away. There was laughter too.

Then everything went dark.  
The Doctor fought to keep his eyes open, holding his breath and fumbling in his pocket.  
"It's no use Doctor," the man in the robes laughed, tossing back the hood and revealing his face,"But don't worry, I won't hurt her."  
The Doctor try to drag the woman towards the door, but the other Timelord collapsed before he had gotten two steps.


	3. Chapter 3

When Idris came to, she was in a strange room, lying in a bed. There was a tray with a steaming mug of something that smelled nice sitting on a small table next to her.

"Thief!" She yelled, without really thinking, sitting up quickly.

"Hey there," a man entered, "You're awake. That was quite a tumble you took out there."

"Where am I?" She demanded.

"Easy," he soothed, "You were in my tent, looking at my instruments, when you just collapsed. That other man that was with you, he ran for a doctor. I brought you back here so you could rest. I'm sure he'll be back."

"He had better be." She said firmly. "Who are you?"

"I told you, I had that tent with the music you so admired."

"You didn't tell me, but fine," she huffed, "Why did I fall over?"

"Maybe you're just not used to things," he said

She huffed, looking annoyed. "I'm sure I'm supposed to be."

"Don't worry," he assured her, "It does take some getting used to. And it's been how long? a few days?"

"Something like that." She shrugged. "But this is not the first time."

"It isn't?" he said, "How many times have you done this then?"

"Twice." She shrugged. "Including this time." She sighed.

"That's not that many," he said

"True, and it is _very _limiting, but..." She sighed and shrugged.

"Do you like it?" he asked, "Being like this, I mean. So limited..."

"It is interesting. But very small."

"But do you like it? Or do you do it for the Doctor?"

She frowned at him. "It is for us both." She looked him over with piercing eyes, trying to put her memories together. There was something odd about this man. "Who are you?" she asked again.

"I was hoping that you could help me out," he replied instead, "I'm stranded here on this planet."

"Why are you stranded?"

"My TARDIS died," he whispered.

Idris' hand flew to the base of her throat, her eyes widening. "How?..." She breathed.

"I'd rather not talk about it..." he looked sad, "It's too painful."

Idris nodded slowly. "We need the Doctor..."

"A friend of mine is looking for him," he said with a nod, "But... you are his TARDIS. I am sure that he will always manage to find you."

She smiled. "Yes, he will."

He sighed sadly. "I envy you and your Doctor. You two can go wherever and whenever you wish." He looked out the window, "But not me. I am stranded here…"

"But we can help." She said decisively.

"You would?" he looked hopeful

"Of course!" She nodded. "We can't find you a new TARDIS...but we can get you of this planet."

He nodded, "That's all I need. Thank you. But how are you feeling right now?"

"Less tired." She told him.

"Would you like anything to eat?"

"Hmmm..." She pondered this for a moment. "Possibly."

"You probably need to," he decided, "I will be back soon with some food for you."

"Alright," she nodded, and got up, checking her legs to make sure they still worked. While the stranger was gone, she wiggled her toes and fingers, watched around the room, and picked up and put down a few things.

The stranger returned soon with a tray of food.

She blinked and looked up at him. "Oh, hello. Have we met, yet?"

"We have," he said, "I woke you up and told you about my dead TARDIS. You said that you would help. Then you said you were hungry, so I brought you something to eat here." He indicated the tray.

"Ah. Yes. That already happened." She said, shaking her head.

"Here, I've brought you something to eat," he said instead, ignoring that comment.

"Ah, thank you." She looked at the plate. "What is it?"

"It's sort of like a traditional breakfast that we used to have on Galifrey," he told her, "Although I suppose that won't make much of a difference to you."

Idris waved her hands slightly. "I don't really know much about food."

"that's alright," he smiled, "Try it and see if you like it."

Meanwhile, the Doctor had woken up in some sort of alley. "Ouch..." he rubbed his head.

"Oh! Thank fate you're alive! I thought we were going to have to call the peace-keepers..."

"What?" he tried to clear his fuzzy head and look at the man talking to him. What happened to him? He remembered… what did he remember? Darkness. Music. Falling. A voice. "Idris!"

"What?" The man looked confused.

"Where is she?" the Doctor took a deep breath, "My friend. Her name is Idris..."

"It's just you..." He said. "You been lying there an age. But just you. No-one else..."

He got to his feet and ran his hands through his hair vigorously. "Gah, what happened to me?"

"I don't know. You were just lying there..."

"Alright, alright, retracing steps... Morning. We went to... a festival of sorts," he was pacing. "Went to a dark tent. There was music. And then gas." His eyes grew wide, "That tent! I have to find that tent!"

"There is the big street festival right now," the man offered, "It's that way…" he pointed, "But most people have gone home by now. It's dark…"

"Yes, I believe it was," the Doctor nodded, "A dark blue color." He took off down the street. The man opened his mouth to correct the stranger, but then shook his head and followed after him curiously.

They reached the street where, as the man had said, there were a lot of tents. The Doctor let out a frustrated sound at the sight.

"They'll be open at sunsrise..." the man offered

"So there's no one around right now?" the Doctor asked

The man gave a shrug. "Not really. No-one likes walking the streets at night unless it's the Lunar Festival."

He took out his screwdriver and turned it on, scanning around the area. "I have to find her."

"Well..." The man looked slightly helpless. "I don't know what to suggest... I mean, it won't open until sunsup tomorrow, so..." He spread his hands.

"Doesn't need to," he replied, "She'll have left traces..."

He started to wave his screw driver around the area, searching for traces of the TARDIS. After a little searching, he found the unmistakable trace of rift energy that was synonymous with the TARDIS. Even in her human form, Idris still left a weak trail. "Ah ha!" he exclaimed, "This is it!" He grinned at the man with him, "This is the tent we were in"

"How do you know that?" He asked. "It looks exactly the same as the others do..."

"To our eyes, yes," the Doctor agreed, "But not," he waved his screw driver about, "To this."

"What...is that?"

"It's... never mind. It's not important," he put it away, "What IS important though is that Idris was here. How can I find out who owns what tent?" the Doctor asked

"Well, they're rented, but someone should hold the details of who rented it..." The man murmured, "The Square Staff, I would think, but they won't be there until morning."

"That's too long," the Doctor frowned, but then he smiled as his screwdriver beeped. Breadcrumbs. Even unconscious, Idris had left behind some breadcrumbs for him. He turned to the man, "Thank you very much for your help."

"Uh... You're welcome?"

The timelord shook his hand vigorously and then rushed off, leaving a slightly dumbfounded man in his wake. He followed the trail from his screwdriver. It led a rather meandering course, but he followed it, rushing through the crowd, eyes on the display of the screwdriver. Mostly, people saw him hurtling along and side-stepped to avoid him.

His route took him away from the town center and into a more residential area. "Where are you?" he murmured, looking around at all the buildings. After a few moments of consideration, he decided to just call out her name.

In the building she was in, Idris sat up sharply, knocking the (thankfully empty) cup off the table beside her. "Thief!" She squeaked, surprised.

"Pardon?" the man asked.

"My Thief - the Doctor - he's looking for me!" she said distractedly, getting to her feet and heading for the window. "Thief!"

"Not so loud please," he said

She blinked at him. "What?"

"You yelled right in my ear."

"Oh. Right. And that's bad, right?"

"I'd say so, yes," he said ruefully

"Oh. I am terribly sorry!" She looked contrite, "I'm still not entirely used to these lung-things. I mean, I ought to be - this isn't the first time I've been out like this - but it's still very odd."

"Don't worry about it," he advised her, "Let's just… go outside. That will make it easier for him to find you."

"Of course," Idris gathered her skirts and hurried down the steps and rushed to the door. She tried the handle, but the door was locked. She pouted a bit.

"Allow me, my lady?" the man had caught up to her, key in hand. She laughed and stepped aside, allowing him to unlock and open the door. "If you would like to yell for him now…"

Idris stepped outside, took a breath, and let out a yell. "THIEF!"

The Doctor looked up as he heard a familiar voice and he tried to zero in on the location of the shouting. Idris certainly was loud enough. He went around a corner and saw her standing on the front step of a building. A smile crossed his face and he hurried over to her. He was about to greet her, but the man standing behind her spoke first.

"Hello Doctor."

The Doctor skidded to a stop, looking more than just a little startled.

"Where have you _been_?" Idris demanded, not seeming to notice anything amiss.

"Are you alright?" the Doctor asked Idris, taking her arm

"Of course I am." She tutted. "You disappeared. Very rude."

"She isn't harmed, Doctor." The Master purred. "And I do believe you owe me both a favor and an explanation..."

"You know him?" Idris tilted her head.

"Rather well," he smiled

The Doctor moved between Idris and the Master. "What could I possibly owe you a favor for?"

"For returning your TARDIS to you." He smiled. "And in one piece, too."

"You seem to have taken her in the first place..."

"I found her." He said, a truly innocent smile on his face.

"And you need to help him." Idris put in.

"Help him?" the Doctor turned to her.

"He's stuck here. He has no TARDIS."

"Well he didn't take very good care of his own," the Doctor responded.

"Now that's not fair." The Master said.

Idris frowned at the Doctor. "What?"

"Stands to reason, doesn't it?" the Doctor asked Idris, "I mean, TARDISes are pretty sturdy. They're built to last. They don't just die..."

"Well no. But things do happen." She pointed out.

"Exactly." The Master agreed.

"And they tend to happen around him."

"Doctor, 'things' tend to happen around you too." She said, with affectionate exasperation.

He sighed, "Not like him," he muttered

"You are casting most unpleasant aspersions on my character, Doctor," the other Timelord said. "And we were getting along so well..."

The Doctor sighed. "Fine. What do you want?"

"In a perfect world, your TARDIS." He shrugged. "Though not in this state, I can hardly travel like this."

"I can change, you know." Idris told him, mildly irked.

The Master held his hands up, "Of course, of course..."

"You can't have her," the Doctor snapped.

"My my, we _are _possessive." The other Timelord smirked. "But you were careless enough to lose her once already..."

"What else do you want?"

"I want to get off this backwater planet." He sighed.

"I suppose we could arrange that," the Doctor said, "We'll drop you off somewhere else."

"Oh, you mean I can't stay with your fascinating TARDIS?" He smirked, "How disappointing..."

"Right, well, Idris and I will be going," the Doctor started to pull her along, "and we shall return for you tomorrow morning."

"Ah, dear Doctor, I cannot be sure of that." The other Timelord said, smiling charmingly. "You've run off on me before... I think your dear TARDIS should stay with me this evening."

"Then we'll leave tonight," the Doctor replied

"As you wish."

He turned to Idris. "I'm afraid we'll have to cut our visit short."

The TARDIS-turned-woman heaved a sigh. "Alright."

The walk back to the blue box was awkward for the Doctor. He kept hold of Idris's arm, keeping between her and the other Timelord. Idris was oblivious, but the Master was just amused. Along the way, he pointed out the various sights of the city, with the air of one showing off his home to a friend. He could practically see the hair on the back of the Doctor's neck standing on edge, and he loved every minute of it.

After far too long, they reached the blue box, and the Doctor unlocked the door. Idris stepped inside, and the console lit up, the TARDIS seemingly 'coming back to life'. The Master stepped inside, past the Doctor, and slammed the door sure in the other Timelord's face.

"Hey!" the Doctor shouted, yanking on the door handle.

The Master flicked down the latch on the other side. "Nope." He said cheerfully through the wood.

"Open this door!" he shouted, banging on the door, "Idris! Don't go anywhere!"

"I am certainly not planning it." She said primly.

_Oh good girl. Good clever girl _ thought the Doctor as he continued to bang on the door, "Let me in and we can go where you want!"

"Now, Doctor, that's hardly logical." The Master tutted. "If I let you in, you will surely attempt to overpower me."

The latches clicked unlocked, and the door opened. It took half a second to for the Doctor to realize it, and he rushed inside.  
The Master looked rather surprised, and then swung around to look at Idris, who was perched serenely on the console.

"I stole him." She said simply. "I do not fly without my thief."

"Alright," the doctor said, "Let's go somewhere and drop you off."

"Good idea." The Master said, folding his arms.

"Idris?" he turned to her, "Your choice."

She looked pensive for a moment, and then the TARDIS sprang to life, lurching sideways a bit.

"Decided then?" the Doctor asked,

"Decided." Idris said, her voice echoing around the console room.

The Master looked mildly unnerved, "Wait a moment."

"You did say you wanted to go _somewhere_ the Doctor pointed out. At the look in his girl's eyes, he decided it would be best to hang onto the rail. He did not anticipate a gentle landing.

The Master, on the other hand, had not anticipated being thrown three feet forward upon landing, causing him to end up face-first in front of the door.

"We're here." Idris said, expression perfectly serene.

"This is your stop," the Doctor agreed, stepping over the Master and over to the door, opening them.

With a slightly suspicious frown, the other Timelord got up. He made his way slowly over to the door to look out and the TARDIS lurched, throwing the Master outside onto the dusty ground.

"There you are," the Doctor reported, "A nice new planet for you."

"What the-" He pushed himself up into a sitting position. "This isn't-"

"It's what you have." Idris said cheerfully, and the TARDIS door slammed shut, every lock clicking on. "There." She said, satisfied.

"Sirus Five," the Doctor said with a nod "Good choice. It won't be permanently inhabited for another... what... ten years?"

"Fifteen." She smiled. "Though there is plenty of food and water."

"I do hope he enjoys his vacation," he nodded

Idris gave a little smirk as the TARDIS took off. "No-one steals me but you."

"And let's keep it that way," he smiled, taking her hands and giving them a little squeeze.

"So. Where to, Thief?" she asked, "We have all of time and space."

"Indeed we do," he grinned and went over to the controls. He pulled a handle and gave one of the dials a spin. "Let's see where we land, eh?" he smiled

"As ever." Idris smiled warmly, as the TARDIS began to move.


End file.
